Liquid containers and liquid dispensers are manufactured for several reasons, and are sometimes designed for a particular use or purpose. Pitchers, for example, such as the ones used to mix water with concentrated ice tea, lemonade, frozen orange juice, etc. are of a generally cylindrical shape having an openable top and a carrying handle on the side. The pitcher, however, has several downsides which make the pitcher very limited in its use and makes the pitcher difficult to use. The pitcher, for example, can be very difficult to transport from one location to another, such as carrying the pitcher from the countertop of the kitchen to the refrigerator, when filled with liquid, is very heavy and difficult to carry. The pitcher is difficult to carry, partially, because the carrying handle is located toward a side of the pitcher, placing the pitcher's weight away from its center of gravity. Similarly, to receive the contents of the pitcher, the user must remove the entire pitcher from the refrigerator, fill a glass, and then return the pitcher to the refrigerator. The user, especially if elderly or very young may have difficulty removing and returning the heavy pitcher, as well as carrying and pouring the filled pitcher.
Drink coolers, such as the ones used for picnicking, for sporting events, and on golf courses are relatively large and have an openable top and a tap. These drink coolers hold a large amount of liquid and make it easy to dispense the liquid by utilizing a tap. These coolers, however, are very difficult to carry due to their large size and weight. Furthermore, the coolers are difficult to keep cool for extended periods of time, and typically will not fit into the average sized refrigerator.
Other liquid containers include those that are especially designed for the storage and dispensing of water. These water dispensers come in several forms, including those that resemble pitchers, and those that resemble small drink coolers. For example, water dispensers that resemble pitchers may have the same general shape and features as a pitcher, but may include a filter for filtering tap water. Similar to pitchers, these water dispensers are difficult to carry and may be difficult to use.
The water dispensers that resemble small drink coolers solve some of the above problems due to the addition of taps for dispensing the water when the cooler is in the refrigerator. However, these water dispenser do not solve all the above problems and create others. For instance, even though the user can obtain water without having to remove the dispenser from the refrigerator, the user will eventually have to refill the dispenser by removing it from the refrigerator, filling it, and returning it to the refrigerator. These type of water dispensers usually do not have handles or other means to carry the dispenser to the refrigerator, making it difficult to transport the dispenser. Similarly, these type of water dispensers are usually large and cumbersome, and often have a shape designed to make the dispenser aesthetically pleasing. Unfortunately, these designs greatly limit a dispensers practicability because of the large amount of space they require. More specifically, the dispensers take up a large amount of shelf space when placed next to each other.
Water jugs, such as the ones containing water when bought in a store are also another type of liquid dispenser. These water jugs usually incorporate a handle to enable the shopper to transport the jug from the store to the home. The water jugs sometimes also include taps that allow the user to obtain water from the jug without having to remove it from the refrigerator. These water jugs, however, are intended for a one time use, and do not have an inlet which allows for the replenishing of water and/or the addition of flavor or concentrate, such as from powder or orange juice. These jugs also take up a large amount of shelf space in a refrigerator.